Many readers ask me about home medical billing, so today I’ve done some research to help you understand exactly what it is, what it pays, and most importantly, how to avoid the many scam opportunities you may encounter when looking for this type of job.
Even though medical billing is very real and many people are able to make a decent living from home, it certainly doesn’t count as an entry-level job. It is also closely related to medical transcriptionanother area to explore if you want to work from home in the healthcare industry.
Before going into details, make sure to subscribe to my work at home email updates here! These are free, and you’ll find new information about remote jobs and more in every email.
And my e-books you can see here are a good alternative to this if you just want one-off information rather than regular updates in your inbox.
Medical billing following home scams
The first thing you need to know about home medical billing “opportunities” you might find online is that many of them aren’t actually available. work from homebut rather someone trying to sell you information on how to start your own medical billing business.
Why is this misleading? This is because the ads make it seem like you are going to work for someone or a company, rather than just paying for information that may or may not help you.
That said, you can get paid to do medical billing at home, but as mentioned above, it’s not as easy to get started as many scammers would have you believe.
What does a medical biller do?
Medical billing involves, among other things, billing insurance companies for health services provided, billing patients, sending claims to insurance companies, and appealing claim denials.
To do this job, you will need to understand medical terminology, human anatomy, and the medical coding system. It’s also worth knowing that many employers are looking for billing and coding skills simultaneously. Training programs covering both can therefore give you a real advantage in the job market.
You will need to know how to type. Customer service skills are also very important, since chances are you’ll be on the phone frequently with doctors’ offices, insurance companies, etc. once you start working.
How much do medical billers make?
According to current ZipRecruiter data, the an average medical billing clerk earns around $40,200 per yeartop earners earning nearly $52,000 a year.
Salary will vary based on your experience, location, and whether you hold any certifications.
Is training necessary?
You need some training to get started and while there are several schools you can use for training, it’s best to stick to an accredited school.
Many professional schools offer medical billing courses that can last as little as nine months or as long as two years, and some of them also offer job placement assistance right out of school.
You won’t be able to find a company that will hire you for medical billing unless you have some education or previous work experience.
Where can you train?
It may not be a bad idea to look for a college or technical/vocational school in your area that has a medical billing program. These schools may additionally offer options that allow you to take your courses online or primarily online.
Penn Foster is also a highly recommended option for online medical billing and coding training. They have been accredited for over 50 years by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission, making them a solid and trustworthy choice.
Their Medical Billing and Coding Career Diploma program is completely online and self-paced, so you can complete it on your own schedule.
The program prepares you to take the Certified Billing and Coding Specialist (CBCS) exam, and Penn Foster actually covers the cost of the exam for graduates, which is a great benefit. They also offer flexible and affordable payment plans to make the program accessible.
This is the training program I would recommend to readers looking for a reputable, accredited online option for home medical billing.
Is medical billing 100% at home?
What you’ll find when you start looking for work-at-home medical billing jobs is that most medical offices, pharmacies, and insurance companies hire medical billers. not offer a work-from-home option to start.
In most cases, you won’t be able to work from home until you’ve worked on-site for a certain period of time.
Once you have proven that you are working on-site, you may then be authorized to carry out the work from home.
If you’re getting into medical billing primarily because you want to work from home, keep in mind that there are some companies that can Never be prepared to let yourself work from home.
You will need to check and ensure that the option to work from home exists at some point before accepting a job if this is important to you.
That said, some established companies hire remote medical billers. Some worth looking into include Ensemble Health Partners, Humana, and Guidehouse, all of which are known for posting remote billing and coding positions.
By searching their career pages directly or using a job site like Flexible jobs Filtering for remote healthcare billing positions is a good way to find current vacancies.
Start Your Own Medical Billing Business
Many work-from-home billers manage their own home businesses. You can either try to jump straight into this field after getting the education you need, or take the time to work under someone else before trying to go it alone.
As with any home business, there will be start-up expenses. These will include home office hardware, business license, medical billing software, reference books, etc.
However, medical billing is something that will likely always be necessary since healthcare is always in demand, so if you go about it the right way, you may be able to succeed with your home business.
More information
Penn Foster Medical Billing and Coding Program Page has lots of detailed information about what the job entails, what you can earn, and what the training covers. This is a good place to start if you are seriously considering going down this path.
Good luck if you decide to pursue medical billing at home!
Looking for more?
If applicable, Flexible jobs is a good way to find them if you create an account and do a search. Their job board is not free, but I am a member and found it very useful because all job leads meet the following criteria:
- All jobs are either remote or flexible in nature
- Without scam (all jobs are verified by humans before being published)
- No advertising or spam on their siteso you can navigate without distraction
- Hundreds of jobs posted every day through tons of categories
- Respected, long-standing and really useful
They let you try them for 14 days for $2.95. So there’s not much risk if you just want to create an account and see if you find anything you could apply for.
Anna Thurman is a work-from-home blogger and mom of two. She has been researching and reviewing remote jobs for over 15 years. His findings are published weekly here on Real Ways to Earn.
